What's with the ending?

1. Dutch sailors & the first dream of America

Nick imagines the first Dutch sailors seeing the “fresh, green breast of the new world” before houses, money and mansions. He links this earlier moment of wonder to Gatsby’s failed dream.

• How is the “fresh, green breast of the new world” different from the world of Gatsby’s parties and mansions?

• What might the “vanished trees” that made way for Gatsby’s house suggest about what has happened to the original dream of America?

• In what ways is Gatsby’s personal dream similar to this early vision of America, and in what ways has it become corrupted?

2. Gatsby’s rowing & “boats against the current”

We’ve already seen young Gatsby rowing out on Lake Superior towards Dan Cody’s yacht, chasing a new life. At the end, Nick describes all of us as “boats against the current,” struggling against the pull of the past.

• How does remembering Gatsby rowing out to Dan Cody change the way you read the final image of “boats against the current”?

• What “current” is Gatsby fighting against throughout the novel (e.g. his past, class, time, reality)?

• Do you think the final metaphor suggests that striving for dreams is pointless, or that we are admirable for striving even when we can’t fully escape the past?

3. Tone shift in the final lines

In these last sentences, Nick moves from talking about Gatsby’s hopeful belief in the future (“Gatsby believed in the green light…”) to a more sober, almost resigned reflection on all of us (“So we beat on…”). The language shifts from energetic and optimistic to rhythmic, heavy and melancholy.

• In “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future…”, what words or phrases make the tone feel hopeful, energetic, or future-focused?

• How do the ellipses (“…”) and the broken-off dash (“one fine morning——”) affect the tone? Do they sound more like excitement, uncertainty, or something breaking down?

• Compare “tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther” with “borne back ceaselessly into the past.” How does the tone change between these two images?

• What happens to the tone when Nick shifts from “Gatsby believed…” to “So we beat on…”? How does including “we” make the ending feel more universal, or more tragic?

• If you had to choose two tone words for the first sentence and two for the final sentence, what would they be, and what specific language justifies your choices?

Does Nick show growth in this chapter? 

You might want to consider: 

• What does Nick’s initial refusal to shake Tom’s hand suggest about his moral stance at this point in the novel?

• In what ways does Nick’s growing disillusionment with the upper class indicate personal change?

• How does Nick’s willingness to meet and be emotionally open with Jordan compare to his earlier denial of the woman back East? What does this contrast reveal about his development?

• When Nick lies to Gatsby’s father, should we read this as moral weakness or as an act of kindness? How does this affect our evaluation of his growth?

• Why does Nick applaud Catherine’s dishonesty, and what does this acceptance suggest about his evolving values?

• Nick claims he does not remember the “bad driver” conversation with Jordan, yet he recounts it in detail earlier. What does this selective memory tell us about his reliability and growth?